Royal newlyweds set off on mystery honeymoon

As the celebrations for the Royal Wedding wind down, attention has now shifted to where the newlyweds are planning to go for their ‘secret honeymoon’.

According to reports, after spending their first night as a married couple at Buckingham Palace, the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, left in a helicopter this morning.

The details of the honeymoon, organised in secrecy by Prince William, have not yet been made public. Following their very public wedding yesterday, the newly married couple are hoping for privacy on this trip.

Over the past few months, there has been much speculation around the subject of where the couple will escape to for their honeymoon. It is, however known that they will be restricted to a two week trip, as William is due back at his Royal Air Force post in two weeks time.

William famously proposed to Kate in Kenya last year, so some believe Africa is a likely honeymoon spot.

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Other suggested destinations include Jordan, which is where Kate lived for two years as a child. Due to the current political unrest in the Middle East though, this location seems a less likely choice.
Kate’s parents are regular visitors of Mustique, which has also been tipped off as a possible honeymoon choice.

Meanwhile the Seychelles or a Caribbean island would enable the couple to escape the limelight of the media. In March 2008, the Prince of Wales and Camilla embarked upon a royal tour of the Caribbean islands, visiting Tobago, St Lucia, Monterrat and Jamaica.

On a recent visit to Queensland, Australia, the Prince said he would like to return and go diving on the Great Barrier Reef. He said: “I will have to come back, maybe we’ll have a honeymoon in Cairns.” Lizard Island, off the coast of Queensland, has also emerged as a contender.

Other sources have indicated that the couple will spend their royal wedding break on the Isles of Scilly, a popular honeymoon destination for Britons, but will soon travel to Canada on a whirlwind tour as official royal ambassadors of the United Kingdom.

Earlier this year, there were reports that the couple would visit Canada after a planned budget honeymoon together. A possible tour might include Toronto and Vancouver in addition to parts of Canada’s wilderness.

Whilst the media and the public continue to speculate about the honeymoon choice for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Paddy Harverson, a spokesman for the Duke, explained the couple expect the media to respect their wishes to be left alone. “The most important things is they want some privacy,” he said. “If it was your own honeymoon, what would you want? You’d want peace and quiet, you wouldn’t want photographs chasing you.” He added.

Following their wedding in 1981, Lady Diana and Prince Charles spent their first night at Broadlands, before embarking on a Mediterranean cruise on the royal yach Brittania that had been a gift from the queen. But unlike Kate and William, their honeymoon was made a public affair, with official visits squeezed into their programme while they were in Tunisia, Sardinia, Greece and Egypt.

Lady Diana was famously chased by photographers and paparazzi in Paris on the night of her death, which has led to more calls for privacy and care from the press around public engagements.